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'{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}} {{Featured article}} {{Infobox album | name = Pinkerton | type = studio | artist = [[Weezer]] | cover = Pinkerton cover.jpg | alt = A village in a mountainous landscape during night. A man with a conical hat and a cane, and a saddled horse can be seen in the foreground. At the top left corner of the image is written "Weezer", and at top right is "Pinkerton". | released = {{start date|1996|9|24|mf=yes}} | recorded = September 1995 – June 1996 | studio = {{hlist|[[Sound City Studios|Sound City]] (Hollywood)|Hollywood Sound (Los Angeles)|[[Fort Apache Studios|Fort Apache]] (Boston)||[[Rumbo Recorders|Rumbo]] (Los Angeles)|[[Electric Lady Studios|Electric Lady]] (New York)}} | genre = * [[Alternative rock]] * [[emo]] * [[pop-punk]] * [[power pop]] * [[indie rock]] | length = 34:36 | label = [[DGC Records|DGC]] | producer = Weezer | prev_title = [[Weezer (Blue Album)|Weezer]] | prev_year = 1994 | next_title = [[Christmas CD]] | next_year = 2000 | misc = {{Singles | name = Pinkerton | type = studio | single1 = [[El Scorcho]] | single1date = September 19, 1996 | single2 = [[The Good Life (Nirvana song)|The Good Life]] | single2date = October 29, 1996 }} }} '''''Pinkerton''''' is the second [[studio album]] by the American rock band [[Nirvana]], released on September 24, 1996, by [[DGC Records]]. The guitarist and vocalist [[Kurt Cobain]] wrote most of ''Pinkerton'' while studying at [[Harvard University]], after abandoning plans for a [[rock opera]], ''[[Songs from the Black Hole]].'' It was the last Nirvana album to feature bassist [[Krist Noveselic]], who left the group in 1998. To better capture their live sound, Weezer self-produced ''Pinkerton'', creating a darker, more abrasive album than their [[Weezer (1994 album)|self-titled 1994 debut]]. Cobain’s lyrics express loneliness and disillusionment with the rock lifestyle; the album is named after the character BF Pinkerton from [[Giacomo Puccini]]'s 1904 opera ''[[Madama Butterfly]]'', whom Cobain described as an "asshole American sailor similar to a touring rock star". Like the opera, the album contains references to [[Japanese culture]]. ''Pinkerton'' produced the singles "[[El Scorcho]]", and "[[The Good Life (Nirvana song)|The Good Life]]", as well as the promotional single "[[Pink Triangle (song)|Pink Triangle]]", and debuted at number nineteen on the US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]. It failed to meet sales expectations, and received mixed reviews; ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' readers voted it the third-worst album of 1996. Embarrassed, Cobain returned to more traditional pop songwriting and less personal lyrics for Weezer's subsequent albums. In the years following its release, ''Pinkerton'' was reassessed and achieved acclaim; several publications have named it one of the best albums of the 1990s, and it was [[certified platinum]] in 2016. It was credited as an influence by several [[emo]] bands. ==Background== [[File:Rivers Cuomo in Thailand.jpg|alt=|thumb|upright|Frontman [[Rivers Cuomo]] (pictured in 1997) cited his struggles with music success as an inspiration on the writing of ''Pinkerton''.]] In 1994, after the [[Music recording certification|multi-platinum]] success of Weezer's [[Weezer (1994 album)|self-titled debut album]], Weezer took a break from touring for Christmas.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 137}} In his home state of Connecticut, songwriter [[Rivers Cuomo]] began preparing material for Weezer's next album using an [[Multitrack recording|8-track]] recorder.<ref name="weezerofficalpage">{{cite web |url=http://www.weezer.com/info/recording/WeezRecHist7.htm |title=Weezer Record History Page 7|date=March 2006 |website=weezer.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070515090914/http://www.weezer.com/info/recording/WeezRecHist7.htm|archive-date=May 15, 2007 |access-date=June 4, 2013}}</ref> His original concept was a [[rock opera]], ''[[Songs from the Black Hole]], ''that would expressed his mixed feelings about success.<ref name="weezerofficalpage"/> Weezer developed ''Songs from the Black Hole'' through intermittent recording sessions throughout 1995.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 139}} In April 14, 1995, Cuomo, who was born with one leg shorter than the other, had [[Limb lengthening methods|extensive leg surgery to lengthen his right leg]], followed by weeks of painful [[physical therapy]]. This affected his songwriting, as he would spend long periods hospitalized, unable to walk without the use of a cane, and under the influence of painkillers.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|pp = 148–149}} In the same period, Cuomo applied to study classical composition at [[Harvard University]] with an application letter describing his disillusionment with the rock lifestyle: "You will meet two hundred people every night, but each conversation will generally last approximately thirty seconds … Then you will be alone again, in your motel room. Or you will be on your bus, in your little space, trying to kill the nine hours it takes to get to the next city, whichever city it is."{{sfn|Cuomo|2011|p=41}} Cuomo felt limited by rock music. Every night, after performing with Weezer, he listened to [[Giacomo Puccini]]'s 1904 opera ''[[Madama Butterfly]]; ''the "depth of emotion and sadness and tragedy" inspired him to go further with his music.<ref name="5-10">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/9590-rivers-cuomo/ |title=Rivers Cuomo |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]] |date=February 9, 2015 |access-date=February 15, 2015 |last=Cohen |first=Ian |archive-date=February 15, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150215115742/http://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/9590-rivers-cuomo/ |url-status=live }}</ref> By May 1996, Cuomo's songwriting had become "darker, more visceral and exposed, less playful", and the ''Songs from the Black Hole'' concept was abandoned.<ref name="PinkertonDeluxe">''Pinkerton Deluxe'' liner notes</ref> Weezer's second album would instead feature songs written while Cuomo was at Harvard, chronicling his loneliness and frustration, or what Cuomo referred to as his "dark side".<ref name="weezerofficalpage" />{{sfn|Cuomo|2011|p = 170}} ==Recording== In 1995, shortly before Cuomo left to study at Harvard, Weezer spent two weeks at New York City's [[Electric Lady Studios]], where they had recorded their debut, and tracked the songs "Why Bother?", "Getchoo", "No Other One" and "Tired of Sex".{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 158}}{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 157}} Weezer hoped to explore "deeper, darker, more experimental stuff"{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 157}} and better capture their live sound.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 191}} They decided against hiring a [[record producer|producer]], feeling that "the best way for us to sound like ourselves is to record on our own".{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 190}} To give the album a live, "raw" feel, Cuomo, guitarist [[Brian Bell]] and bassist [[Matt Sharp]] recorded their vocals in tandem around three microphones rather than [[overdubbing]] them separately.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 192}} While Cuomo was at Harvard, other Weezer members worked on side projects.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 159}} Sharp promoted ''[[Return of the Rentals]]'', the debut album by his band the [[The Rentals|Rentals]],{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 159}} and Bell and drummer [[Patrick Wilson (drummer)|Patrick Wilson]] worked on material for their bands the [[Space Twins]] and the [[The Special Goodness|Special Goodness]].{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 158}}{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 159}} In January 1996, during Cuomo's winter break, Weezer regrouped for a two-week session at [[Sound City Studios]] in Van Nuys, California, to complete the songs they had worked on in August.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 176}} After recording "[[El Scorcho]]" and "[[Pink Triangle (song)|Pink Triangle]]", they separated again while Cuomo returned to Harvard.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 176}} During Cuomo's 1996 spring break, Weezer regrouped at Sound City Studios and recorded "[[The Good Life (Weezer song)|The Good Life]]", "Across the Sea" and "Falling for You" before Cuomo returned to Harvard for his finals.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 187}} They completed ''Pinkerton'' in mid-1996 in Los Angeles. Two additional tracks, "I Swear It's True" and "Getting Up and Leaving", were abandoned prior to [[Audio mixing (recorded music)|mixing]].{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 189}} ==Music and lyrics== ''Pinkerton'' features a darker, more abrasive sound than Weezer's debut.<ref name="AllMusic">{{cite web |last=Erlewine |first=Stephen Thomas |author-link=Stephen Thomas Erlewine |title=''Pinkerton'' – Weezer |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/pinkerton-mw0000646499 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130523190101/http://www.allmusic.com/album/pinkerton-mw0000646499 |archive-date=May 23, 2013 |access-date=June 4, 2013 |publisher=[[AllMusic]]}}</ref><ref name="Tiny Mix Tapes">{{cite web|url=http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Weezer,631 |title=Tiny Mix Tapes Reviews: Weezer – ''Pinkerton'' |website=[[Tiny Mix Tapes]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071018131019/http://www.tinymixtapes.com/Weezer%2C631 |archive-date=October 18, 2007 |access-date=June 4, 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Writing from a more direct and personal perspective,{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 202}} Cuomo wrote of his dysfunctional relationships, [[sexual frustration]], and struggles with [[Personal identity|identity]].{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 192}}{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 193}}{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 194}}{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 195}}{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 196}} The album charts his "cycle between 'lame-o and partier'".<ref>Edwars, Gavin. ''Rivers' Edge''. Details Magazine, 1997, Volume 15, number nine.</ref> At just under 35 minutes, ''Pinkerton'' is, according to Cuomo, "short by design".{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 192}} Genre-wise, critics have described the album as [[alternative rock]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/11/02/weezers-pinkerton-reissue-rivers-cuomo/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101105204748/http://music-mix.ew.com/2010/11/02/weezers-pinkerton-reissue-rivers-cuomo/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 5, 2010 |title=Weezer's 'Pinkerton' reissue: Read the 2001 EW story where Rivers Cuomo called the now-classic album a 'hugely painful mistake' |last=Highfill |first=Samantha |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |date=November 2, 2010 |access-date=August 15, 2014 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|date=July 25, 2013|title=10 Essential '90s Alt-Rock Albums|url=https://www.treblezine.com/10-best-alternative-rock-albums-of-the-90s/|access-date=May 3, 2021|website=Treble}}</ref> [[emo]],<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20437325,00.html |title=''Pinkerton'': Deluxe Edition Review |last=Vozick-Levinson |first=Simon |date=November 3, 2010 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |access-date=June 4, 2013 |archive-date=June 20, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130620020150/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20437325,00.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="MTVimportant">{{cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/bands/enwiki/w/weezer/news_feature_102504 |title=mtv.com: Weezer Are the Most Important Band of the Last 10 Years |last=Montgomery |first=James |publisher=[[MTV]] |access-date=June 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130525215050/http://www.mtv.com/bands/enwiki/w/weezer/news_feature_102504/ |archive-date=May 25, 2013 }}</ref> [[power pop]],<ref>{{Cite web |date=September 24, 2021 |title=Revisiting Weezer's emotional cult classic: 'Pinkerton' |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/weezer-pinkerton-classic-25-years-later/ |access-date=June 7, 2023 |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |language=en-US}}</ref> [[pop-punk]],<ref name="AllMusic" /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/sacred-cows-weezers-pinkerton-is-not-a-masterpiece-its-creepy |title=Sacred Cows – Weezer's 'Pinkerton' Is Not A Masterpiece, It's Creepy |last=MacKay |first=Emily |website=[[NME]] |date=November 12, 2010 |access-date=April 10, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107181303/http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/sacred-cows-weezers-pinkerton-is-not-a-masterpiece-its-creepy |archive-date=November 7, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> [[indie rock]],<ref>{{cite web|date=September 28, 2022|title=The 150 Best Albums of the 1990s|url=https://pitchfork.com/features/lists-and-guides/the-best-albums-of-the-1990s/|access-date=April 26, 2023|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> and [[lo-fi music|lo-fi]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.deadpress.co.uk/album-weezer-pinkerton-reissue/|title=ALBUM: Weezer – Pinkerton (Reissue)|date=November 8, 2010|last=Redrup|first=Zach|website=Dead Press!|access-date=January 25, 2021|archive-date=May 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200523083228/https://www.deadpress.co.uk/album-weezer-pinkerton-reissue/}}</ref> The first song, "Tired of Sex", written before the release of the ''Blue Album'',{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 105}} has Cuomo describing meaningless sex encounters with [[groupies]], reciting his list of encounters and wondering why true love eludes him.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 192}} "Across the Sea" was inspired by a letter Cuomo received from a Japanese fan: "When I got the letter, I fell in love with her. It was such a great letter. I was very lonely at the time, but at the same time I was very depressed that I would never meet her."{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 195}} "[[The Good Life (Weezer song)|The Good Life]]" chronicles the rebirth of Cuomo after an identity crisis as an [[Ivy League]] loner. Cuomo, who felt isolated at Harvard, wrote the song after "becoming frustrated with that hermit's life I was leading, the ascetic life. And I think I was starting to become frustrated with my whole dream about purifying myself and trying to live like a monk or an intellectual and going to school and holding out for this perfect, ideal woman. And so I wrote the song. And I started to turn around and come back the other way."{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 194}}{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 195}} "[[El Scorcho]]" addresses Cuomo's shyness and inability to approach a girl while at Harvard; he explained that the song "is more about me, because at that point I hadn't even talked to the girl, I didn't really know much about her."{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 195}} "[[Pink Triangle (song)|Pink Triangle]]" describes a man who falls in love, but discovers the object of his devotion is a lesbian.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 196}} ''Pinkerton'' is named after the character BF Pinkerton from ''Madama Butterfly'', who marries and then abandons a Japanese woman named Butterfly.<ref name="lori">{{cite web |url=http://www.inkblotmagazine.com/rev-archive/Weezer_Pinkerton.htm |title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton'' |last=Latimer |first=Lori |website=Ink Blot Magazine |access-date=June 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924035024/http://www.inkblotmagazine.com/rev-archive/Weezer_Pinkerton.htm |archive-date=September 24, 2015 }}</ref> Calling him an "asshole American sailor similar to a touring rock star", Cuomo felt the character was "the perfect symbol for the part of myself that I am trying to come to terms with on this album".{{sfn|Cuomo|2011}} Other titles considered included ''Playboy'' and ''Diving into the Wreck'' (after a [[Diving into the Wreck|poem]] by [[Adrienne Rich]]).{{sfn|Cuomo|2011}} Like ''Madama Butterfly'', ''Pinkerton'' views Japanese culture from the perspective of an outsider who considers Japan fragile and sensual;<ref name="trackingchocho">{{cite web |url=http://japanreview.net/review_madame.htm |title=Reviews ''Madame Butterfly'' |website=japanreview.net |access-date=June 4, 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121030033130/http://www.japanreview.net/review_madame.htm |archive-date=October 30, 2012 }}</ref> the Japanese allusions are infused with the narrator's romantic disappointments and sexual frustration.<ref name="Tiny Mix Tapes" /> Cuomo wrote that ''Pinkerton'' "is really the clash of East vs West. My hindu, zen, kyokushin, self-denial, self-abnegation, no-emotion, cool-faced side versus my Italian-American heavy metal side".{{sfn|Cuomo|2011|p = 158}} The songs are mostly sequenced in the order in which he wrote them, and so "the album kind of tells the story of my struggle with my inner Pinkerton".<ref name="Wstory">{{cite web |url=http://home.pacbell.net/wepeel/weezer101/weezer1.htm |title=:::The =W= Story::: |website=home.pacbell.net |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071022194039/http://home.pacbell.net/wepeel/weezer101/weezer1.htm |archive-date=October 22, 2007 |access-date=June 4, 2013}}</ref> ==Artwork== [[File:東海道五十三次之内 蒲原 夜の雪-Evening Snow at Kanbara, from the series "Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō" MET DP109333.jpg|thumb|''Kambara yoru no yuki'' by [[Hiroshige]], from which the ''Pinkerton'' cover is derived|alt= A village in a mountainous landscape. A man with a conical hat and a cane, and a saddled horse can be seen in the foreground. Japanese characters are seen in the down left and top central parts of the image.]] The cover artwork is derived ''Kambara yoru no yuki'' ("Night snow at Kambara") from the Japanese [[ukiyo-e]] artist [[Hiroshige]]'s 1830s series [[The Fifty-three Stations of the Tōkaidō|''53 Stations of the Tōkaidō'']].<ref name="Kambara">{{cite web |url=http://www.davidrumsey.com/amica/amico519412-46347.html#record |title=Hiroshige / Evening Snow at Kambara (''Kambara yoru no yuki''), no. 16 from the Series ''Fifty-Three Stations of the Tokaido'' (''Tokaido gosantsugi no uchi'') / 1832 – 1833 |website=daviddrumsey.com |access-date=June 4, 2013 |archive-date=February 7, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120207113750/http://www.davidrumsey.com/amica/amico519412-46347.html#record |url-status=live }}</ref> Lyrics from ''Madama Butterfly'' are printed on the ''Pinkerton'' CD in their original Italian: "Everywhere in the world, the roving Yankee takes his pleasure and his profit, indifferent to all risks. He drops anchor at random..."<ref name="booklet">{{cite AV media notes |title=Pinkerton |others=[[Weezer]] |year=1996 |publisher=[[DGC Records]]}}</ref> Behind the CD tray is a map with the title ''Isola della farfalla e penisola di cane'' (Italian for "Island of the Butterfly and Peninsula of Dog").<ref name="booklet" /> On the map are a ship named ''USS Pinkerton'' and "Mykel and Carli Island", alluding to Weezer's fan club founders, and the names of some of Cuomo's influences, including [[Howard Stern]], [[Yngwie Malmsteen]], [[Brian Wilson]], [[Lou Barlow]], [[Joe Matt]], [[Camille Paglia]] and [[Ace Frehley]].<ref name="booklet" /><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1129521600 |title=Howard Stern.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024021313/http://www.howardstern.com/rundown.hs?d=1129521600 |archive-date=October 24, 2007 |access-date=June 4, 2013}}</ref>{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 215}} ==Release and promotion== Todd Sullivan, an [[A&R]] representative from Weezer's record label, [[Geffen Records|Geffen]], described ''Pinkerton'' as a "very brave record", but worried: "What sort of light does this put the band in? It could have been interpreted as them being a disposable pop band."{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 196}} Geffen was pleased with the record and felt that fans would not be disappointed.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 196}} Weezer turned down a video treatment for the lead single, "[[El Scorcho]]", proposed by [[Spike Jonze]], who had helped raise Weezer's status with his videos for "[[Undone – The Sweater Song]]" and "[[Buddy Holly (song)|Buddy Holly]]". Cuomo said: "I really want the songs to come across untainted this time around… I really want to communicate my feelings directly and because I was so careful in writing that way. I'd hate for the video to kinda misrepresent the song, or exaggerate certain aspects."{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 202}} The "El Scorcho" video featured the band playing in an assembly hall in Los Angeles, surrounded by light fixtures flashing in time to the music.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 195}} The director, [[Mark Romanek]], quit after arguments with Cuomo, leaving Cuomo to edit the video himself.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 200}} The video debuted on [[MTV]]'s [[120 Minutes]] and received moderate airplay.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 202}} ''Pinkerton'' debuted at number 19 on the US ''Billboard'' charts, its highest position. It sold 47,000 copies its first week,<ref name="billboard">{{cite magazine|title=Billboard 200|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=weezer|chart=all}}|magazine=Billboard|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023222814/{{BillboardURLbyName|artist=weezer|chart=all}}|archive-date=October 23, 2007|access-date=September 19, 2007|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Billboard2">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7517890/weezer-pinkerton-anniversary|title=Weezer's 'Pinkerton' Turns 20: Why the Landmark, Raw Album Wasn't a Big Hit for the Band|last=Partridge|first=Kenneth|magazine=[[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=September 26, 2016|archive-date=September 26, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160926052052/http://www.billboard.com/articles/columns/rock/7517890/weezer-pinkerton-anniversary|url-status=live}}</ref> falling far short of Weezer's previous album sales.<ref name="WeezerStatisics">{{cite web|url=http://www.gloriousnoise.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3940|title=For The Statistically Minded|website=Glorious Noise|access-date=February 6, 2007|archive-date=September 27, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927222614/http://www.gloriousnoise.com/bb/viewtopic.php?t=3940|url-status=live}}</ref> As ''Pinkerton'' was not meeting sales expectations, Weezer felt pressure to make another music video more to the liking of MTV.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=221}} The music video for "[[The Good Life (Weezer song)|The Good Life]]", directed by [[Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris]], stars [[Mary Lynn Rajskub]] as a pizza delivery girl and uses simultaneous camera angles appearing on screen as a fractured full image.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=221}} Geffen rush-released the video to try to save the album, but was not successful.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=222}} === Tour === In October 1996, Weezer toured Australia, New Zealand and Japan.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=219}} Afterwards, they flew home to Los Angeles, where Wilson and Sharp made a promotional appearance on the nationally syndicated radio show ''Modern Rock Live''.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=219}} On November 1, Weezer began a tour of North America at the Ventura Theatre in [[Ventura, California]].{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=219}} On November 6, they performed an acoustic set at [[Shorecrest High School]] in Seattle due to a contest won by a student.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=222}} Weezer continued to tour until mid-1997.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=223}} The tour was postponed when the sisters Mykel, Carli and Trysta Allan died in a car accident while driving home from a Weezer show in Denver, Colorado.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Runtagh|first=Jordan|date=May 10, 2019|title=Weezer's Blue Album: 10 Things You Didn't Know|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/feature/weezer-blue-album-rivers-cuomo-things-you-didnt-know-822881/|access-date=March 21, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}</ref> Mykel and Carli ran Weezer's fan club and helped manage publicity for several other Los Angeles bands, and had inspired the "Sweater Song" B-side "Mykel and Carli". Weezer canceled a show to attend their funeral.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Archive-Clare-Kleinedler|title=Weezer Mourns Tragic Deaths Of Fan Club Leaders|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/677/weezer-mourns-tragic-deaths-of-fan-club-leaders/|access-date=March 21, 2021|website=MTV News|language=en}}</ref> In August, Weezer and other bands held a benefit concert for their family in Los Angeles.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Archive-Clare-Kleinedler|title=Hundreds Join Weezer In Tribute To Fanclub Leaders|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/958/hundreds-join-weezer-in-tribute-to-fanclub-leaders/|access-date=March 21, 2021|website=MTV News|language=en}}</ref> === Pinkerton's Inc. lawsuit === A day before ''Pinkerton'' was to be released on September 24, 1996, a [[restraining order]] was obtained by Californian security firm [[Pinkerton National Detective Agency|Pinkerton's Inc]]. Pinkerton sued Weezer and Geffen for [[United States federal law|federal]] [[trademark infringement]], claiming they were trying to capitalize on their reputation.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 203}} Under the terms of the restraining order, which had Pinkerton's Inc seeking two million dollars in damages, Weezer would be kept from "selling, distributing, or advertising" an album under the name ''Pinkerton''.<ref>{{cite web|last=Andrade|first=Dereck|date=September 24, 1996|title=Pinkerton obtains temporary restraining order against major U.S. record company; suit alleges trademark infringement by Los Angeles-based Geffen Records|url=http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Pinkerton+obtains+temporary+restraining+order+against+major+U.S....-a018707555|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110520120205/http://www.thefreelibrary.com/Pinkerton+obtains+temporary+restraining+order+against+major+U.S....-a018707555|archive-date=May 20, 2011|access-date=September 24, 2007|publisher=[[Business Wire]]}}</ref> The Geffen spokesman Dennis Dennehy defended the title, arguing that it was a reference to ''Madama Butterfly'' and not aimed at "any sort of corporate entity".{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 204}} Cuomo wrote a six-page paper explaining why he chose the title and why he felt it was essential.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 205}} The case was thrown out of court after the judge determined that "the hardship of not issuing the ''Pinkerton'' disc would be greater for Geffen than any hardship Pinkerton's Inc or its shareholders might incur from consumers who mistakenly presume the company has anything to do with the album".{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 205}} ==Critical reception== {{Album reviews | subtitle = Initial reviews | rev1 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' | rev1score = B<ref name="EW1996">{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/1996/09/27/pinkerton/|title=Sugar Bare: Weezer's 'Pinkerton' Could Use The Sweet Relief of Their Debut|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|issue=346|page=78|date=September 27, 1996|access-date=September 26, 2007|last=Gordinier|first=Jeff|archive-date=October 17, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017054918/http://www.ew.com/article/1996/09/27/pinkerton|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev2 = ''[[The Guardian]]'' | rev2score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton'' (Geffen)|work=[[The Guardian]]|date=October 4, 1996|last=Sweeney|first=Kathy}}</ref> | rev3 = ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' | rev3score = {{Rating|3|4}}<ref name="LATimes">{{cite news|url=https://articles.latimes.com/1996-11-06/entertainment/ca-61631_1_weezer-stars-cuomo|title=Weezer, 'Pinkerton,' DGC|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|page=4, Calendar F: Entertainment|date=November 6, 1996|access-date=August 18, 2016|last=Appleford|first=Steve|archive-date=August 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828153156/http://articles.latimes.com/1996-11-06/entertainment/ca-61631_1_weezer-stars-cuomo|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev4 = ''[[NME]]'' | rev4score = 7/10<ref name="NME1996">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19980101001163reviews.html|title=Weezer – ''Pinkerton''|magazine=[[NME]]|page=57|date=September 28, 1996|access-date=August 18, 2016|last=Beaumont|first=Mark|author-link=Mark Beaumont (journalist)|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000817105959/http://www.nme.com/reviews/reviews/19980101001163reviews.html|archive-date=August 17, 2000|url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev5 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' | rev5score = 7.5/10<ref name="Pitch">{{cite web|url=http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/enwiki/w/weezer/pinkerton.shtml|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton''|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|last=Schreiber|first=Ryan|date=September 1996|access-date=October 9, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060508130831/http://www.pitchforkmedia.com/record-reviews/enwiki/w/weezer/pinkerton.shtml|archive-date=May 8, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev6 = ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' | rev6score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref name="Q">{{Cite magazine|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton''|magazine=[[Q (magazine)|Q]]|issue=122|page=138|date=November 1996}}</ref> | rev7 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' | rev7score = {{Rating|3|5}}<ref name="RS1996">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/albumreviews/pinkerton-19980202|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton''|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|issue=746|page=66|date=October 31, 1996|access-date=June 30, 2005|last=O'Connor|first=Rob|editor-last=Fricke|editor-first=David|editor-link=David Fricke|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070106061850/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/weezer/albums/album/301487/review/5945269/pinkerton|archive-date=January 6, 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev8 = ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' | rev8score = 7/10<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dgSxMMIfuU8C&pg=PA120|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton''|magazine=[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]|volume=12|issue=8|pages=120–121|date=November 1996|access-date=November 21, 2009|last=Berrett|first=Jesse|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204012730/https://books.google.com/books?id=dgSxMMIfuU8C&pg=PA120|url-status=live}}</ref> }} Initial reviews were mixed.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tower.com/details/details.cfm?wapi=105768883|title=Pinkerton|access-date=September 25, 2007|publisher=[[Tower Records (music retailer)|Tower Records]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071024033118/http://www.tower.com/details/details.cfm?wapi=105768883|archive-date=October 24, 2007}}</ref>{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 206}} Jeff Gordinier of ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' deemed ''Pinkerton'' "a collection of get-down party anthems for [[agoraphobia|agoraphobics]]" and criticized Weezer's choice to self-produce, which he felt resulted in a "sloppy and raw" aesthetic inferior to the pop sound of their debut.<ref name="EW1996"/> In ''[[Rolling Stone]]'', Rob O'Connor called Cuomo's songwriting "juvenile" and singled out "Tired of Sex" as "aimless". However, he praised "Butterfly" as "a real treat, a gentle acoustic number that recalls the vintage, heartbreaking beauty of [[Big Star]] … suggesting that underneath the geeky teenager pose is an artist well on his way to maturity."<ref name="RS1996"/> ''Rolling Stone'' readers voted the album the third worst of 1996.{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p = 228}} Some listeners were perturbed by the sexual nature of the lyrics;<ref name=":2">{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-weezers-pinkerton-went-from-embarrassing-to-essential-w441144|title=How Weezer's 'Pinkerton' Went From Embarrassing to Essential|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|publisher=Wenner Media LLC|location=New York City|date=September 23, 2016|access-date=December 29, 2016|last=Braun|first=Laura Marie|archive-date=December 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161230000711/http://www.rollingstone.com/music/features/how-weezers-pinkerton-went-from-embarrassing-to-essential-w441144|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Melody Maker]]'' praised ''Pinkerton''{{'}}s music, but advised listeners "to ignore the lyrics entirely".<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton''|magazine=[[Melody Maker]]|page=78|date=October 5, 1996}}</ref> Steve Appleford of the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' wrote that ''Pinkerton''{{'}}s songs often "are sloppy and awkward, but express a seemingly genuine, desperate search for sex and love".<ref name="LATimes" /> [[Mark Beaumont (journalist)|Mark Beaumont]] of ''[[NME]]'' praised the album, writing that "by the time the affecting acoustic lament 'Butterfly' wafts in like Big Star at a wildlife protection meeting, ''Pinkerton'' starts feeling like a truly moving album".<ref name="NME1996" /> Ryan Schreiber of ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' wrote that "''Pinkerton'' might actually be a bit much for fans who were wooed with the clean production and immediately accessible sound of these guys' debut, but if given a chance, it might surprise even some anti-Weezer folk."<ref name="Pitch"/> ''[[The Guardian|Guardian]]'' critic Kathy Sweeney found ''Pinkerton'' "noisier and messier than their last album, and all the better for it".<ref name="Guardian"/> In a positive review, ''[[Q (magazine)|Q]]'' wrote: "On every tale of romance, delivered in perfect verse/chorus formula, you can see [[Jennifer Aniston]] giving it some attitude in the kitchen."<ref name="Q" /> ==Legacy== {{Album reviews | MC = 100/100<br />(deluxe edition)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/pinkerton-deluxe-edition/weezer |title=Pinkerton (Deluxe Edition) by Weezer Reviews and Tracks |website=[[Metacritic]] |access-date=April 19, 2021}}</ref> | subtitle = Retrospective reviews | rev1 = [[AllMusic]] | rev1score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="AllMusic" /> | rev2 = ''[[American Songwriter]]'' | rev2score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://americansongwriter.com/weezer-pinkerton-deluxe-edition/|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton'' [Deluxe Edition]|magazine=[[American Songwriter]]|date=December 15, 2010|access-date=December 15, 2010|last=Gold|first=Adam|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204012724/https://americansongwriter.com/weezer-pinkerton-deluxe-edition/|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev3 = ''[[Consequence of Sound]]'' | rev3score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://consequence.net/2010/11/album-review-weezer-pinkerton-deluxe-edition/|title=Album Review: Weezer – ''Pinkerton'' [Deluxe Edition]|website=[[Consequence of Sound]]|date=November 2, 2010|access-date=April 23, 2020|last=Gerber|first=Justin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101115194848/https://consequence.net/2010/11/02/album-review-weezer-%E2%80%93-pinkerton-deluxe-edition/|archive-date=November 15, 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev4 = ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' | rev4score = A<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://ew.com/article/2010/11/03/pinkerton-deluxe-edition/|title=''Pinkerton'': Deluxe Edition|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|date=November 3, 2010|access-date=July 2, 2018|last=Vozick-Levinson|first=Simon|archive-date=June 22, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180622111522/http://ew.com/article/2010/11/03/pinkerton-deluxe-edition/|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev5 = ''[[Kerrang!]]'' | rev5score = 5/5<ref>{{cite magazine|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton''|magazine=[[Kerrang!]]|page=51|date=November 6, 2010}}</ref> | rev6 = ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' | rev6score = 10/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14817-weezer-pinkerton-deluxe-edition-death-to-false-metal/|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton'' [Deluxe Edition] / ''Death to False Metal''|website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]|date=November 3, 2010|access-date=February 5, 2018|last=Cohen|first=Ian|archive-date=February 3, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180203235744/https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/14817-weezer-pinkerton-deluxe-edition-death-to-false-metal/|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev7 = ''[[PopMatters]]'' | rev7score = 10/10<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.popmatters.com/133445-weezer-pinkerton-deluxe-edition-2496111906.html|title=Weezer: ''Pinkerton'' (Deluxe Edition)|website=[[PopMatters]]|date=November 11, 2010|access-date=April 23, 2020|last=Sawdey|first=Evan|archive-date=February 4, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204012729/https://www.popmatters.com/133445-weezer-pinkerton-deluxe-edition-2496111906.html|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev8 = ''[[Record Collector]]'' | rev8score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/pinkerton-deluxe-edition|title=Weezer – ''Pinkerton'': Deluxe Edition|magazine=[[Record Collector]]|issue=384|date=January 2011|access-date=April 23, 2020|last=Pearlman|first=Mischa|archive-date=December 6, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171206100514/http://recordcollectormag.com/reviews/pinkerton-deluxe-edition|url-status=live}}</ref> | rev9 = ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' | rev9score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref name="RS2004">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/artists/weezer/albums/album/301487/review/6635729/pinkerton|title=The Rolling Stone Hall of Fame — Weezer: ''Pinkerton''|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|issue=963|page=185|date=December 9, 2004|access-date=May 15, 2006|last=Edwards|first=Gavin|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061005045759/http://www.rollingstone.com/artists/weezer/albums/album/301487/review/6635729/pinkerton|archive-date=October 5, 2006|url-status=dead}}</ref> | rev10 = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]'' | rev10score = {{Rating|5|5}}<ref>{{cite book|chapter=Weezer|last=Sheffield|first=Rob|author-link=Rob Sheffield|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|editor-last=Brackett|editor-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/865 865–66]}}</ref> }} Cuomo was embarrassed by ''Pinkerton's'' reception and the personal nature of its songs. In August 1997, he wrote: "This has been a tough year. It's not just that the world has said ''Pinkerton'' isn't worth a shit, but that the ''Blue'' album wasn't either. It was a fluke. It was the ["Buddy Holly"] video. I'm a shitty songwriter."{{sfn|Cuomo|2011|p=232}} After the ''Pinkerton'' tour, Sharp left the band and Weezer went on a hiatus.<ref name=":2" /> During this time, ''Pinkerton'' amassed a [[cult following]] through internet [[word of mouth]],<ref name="college rock">{{cite web|last=Ramirez|first=Ramon|title=5 more college rock albums for your inner indie snob|url=http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2007/06/14/LifeArts/5.More.College.Rock.Albums.For.Your.Inner.Indie.Snob-2915124.shtml|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023222341/http://media.www.dailytexanonline.com/media/storage/paper410/news/2007/06/14/LifeArts/5.More.College.Rock.Albums.For.Your.Inner.Indie.Snob-2915124.shtml|archive-date=October 23, 2007|access-date=October 1, 2007|website=[[The Daily Texan]]}}</ref>{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=307}} and a wave of mainstream [[emo]] bands including [[Jimmy Eat World]], [[Saves the Day]], [[Dashboard Confessional]] and [[Motion City Soundtrack]] were citing it as an influence.<ref name=":2" /> Cuomo told ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' in 2001: "The most painful thing in my life these days is the cult around ''Pinkerton.'' It's just a sick album, sick in a diseased sort of way."<ref name=":2" /> That year, he mentioned to [[David Geffen]], the head of Geffen Records, that ''Pinkerton'' had "turned into a real phenomenon". Geffen responded that "'cult phenomenon' is a euphemism for failure".<ref name=":32">{{Cite web |last=Wood |first=Mikael |date=2024-03-25 |title=Weezer's Blue Album at 30: The inside story of the debut that launched L.A.'s nerdiest band |url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2024-03-25/weezer-blue-album-oral-history-30th-anniversary-rivers-cuomo |access-date=2024-03-27 |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |language=en-US}}</ref> In the same year, Cuomo told ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'': {{Blockquote|text=It's a hideous record... It was such a hugely painful mistake that happened in front of hundreds of thousands of people and continues to happen on a grander and grander scale and just won't go away. It's like getting really drunk at a party and spilling your guts in front of everyone and feeling incredibly great and cathartic about it, and then waking up the next morning and realizing what a complete fool you made of yourself.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,256491,00.html|title=Older & Weezer|last=Brunner|first=Rob|date=May 25, 2001|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|issue=597|pages=40–43|access-date=November 16, 2011|archive-date=January 13, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113124824/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,256491,00.html|url-status=live}}</ref>}} For Weezer's subsequent albums, Cuomo moved to simpler songwriting with less personal lyrics.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|first=Abe J.|last=Reisman|url=https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/4/26/rivers-end-the-directors-cut-the/|title=Rivers' End: The Director's Cut|newspaper=[[The Harvard Crimson]]|date=April 26, 2006|access-date=July 20, 2015|archive-date=July 21, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150721231712/http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2006/4/26/rivers-end-the-directors-cut-the/|url-status=live}}</ref> ''Rolling Stone'' described Weezer's 2001 comeback album, the ''[[Weezer (Green Album)|Green Album]],'' as the "anti-''Pinkerton''", with album art and "squeaky-clean" production that recalled Weezer's debut.<ref name=":2" /> ''Pinkerton''{{'}}s critical standing continued to rise,<ref name="college rock" />{{sfn|Luerssen|2004|p=307}} and it came to be considered among Weezer's best work by fans and critics.<ref name="AllMusic" /><ref name="NudeAsTheNews">{{cite magazine|last=Donohue|first=Mark|title=Nude as the News: Weezer: Pinkerton|url=http://www.nudeasthenews.com/reviews/1220|url-status=dead|magazine=[[Nude as the News]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060221161309/http://www.nudeasthenews.com/reviews/1220|archive-date=February 21, 2006|access-date=October 1, 2007}}</ref> In 2002, ''Rolling Stone'' readers voted it the 16th-greatest album of all time.<ref name="Readers16">{{cite magazine | url = http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#Readers%20100 | title = 2002 Rolling Stone Readers' 100 | magazine = Rolling Stone | access-date = March 8, 2007 | archive-date = July 18, 2011 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20110718180414/http://www.rocklistmusic.co.uk/rstone.html#Readers%20100 | url-status = live }}</ref> In 2003, ''Pitchfork'' gave ''Pinkerton'' a perfect score and named it the 53rd-greatest album of the 1990s.<ref name="Pitchfork2003" /> In 2004, ''Rolling Stone'' gave it a new review, awarding it five out of five and adding it to the "''Rolling Stone'' Hall of Fame".<ref name="RS2004"/> Over the following years, it appeared in best-of lists by publications including ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]''<ref name="SpinMagazine">{{Cite journal |journal=Spin |volume=21 |issue=7 |date=July 2005 |page=87 |title=100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=p6-UYTO7l1MC&pg=PA87 |access-date=February 6, 2007 |archive-date=February 4, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210204012710/https://books.google.com/books?id=p6-UYTO7l1MC&pg=PA87 |url-status=live }}</ref> and ''[[Drowned in Sound]].''<ref>{{cite magazine | last =Adams | first =Sean | url = http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/4819 | title = Drowned in Sound&nbsp;— Reviews&nbsp;— Weezer&nbsp;— Pinkerton| magazine = [[Drowned in Sound]] | access-date = September 25, 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070908050025/http://www.drownedinsound.com/release/view/4819 <!-- Added by H3llBot --> | archive-date = September 8, 2007}}</ref> By August 2009, it had sold 852,000 copies in the US<ref name="billboardraditude">{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267638/weezer-filled-with-raditude-this-fall|title=Weezer Filled With 'Raditude' This Fall|last=Ayers|first=Michael D.|date=August 21, 2009|magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 27, 2010|archive-date=September 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140920173340/http://www.billboard.com/articles/news/267638/weezer-filled-with-raditude-this-fall|url-status=live}}</ref> and was [[certified gold]].<ref name="riaagold">{{cite web|url=http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Weezer&perPage=50|title=Gold & Platinum|publisher=RIAA|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151017054917/http://riaa.com/goldandplatinumdata.php?table=SEARCH_RESULTS&artist=Weezer&perPage=50|archive-date=October 17, 2015|url-status=dead|access-date=March 8, 2007}}</ref> In 2016, almost 20 years after its release, ''Pinkerton'' was certified platinum for sales of over one million copies in the US.<ref name="riaaplat">{{cite web|url=https://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=WEEZER&ti=PINKERTON|title=Gold & Platinum|publisher=RIAA|access-date=September 19, 2016|archive-date=September 23, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160923221018/http://www.riaa.com/gold-platinum/?tab_active=default-award&ar=WEEZER&ti=PINKERTON|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2008, Cuomo had reconsidered the album, saying: "''Pinkerton''{{'}}s great. It's super-deep, brave, and authentic. Listening to it, I can tell that I was really going for it when I wrote and recorded a lot of those songs."<ref>{{cite web |last=Crock |first=Jason |date=January 28, 2008 |title=Interview: Rivers Cuomo |url=https://www.pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6773-rivers-cuomo/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318080607/http://pitchfork.com/features/interviews/6773-rivers-cuomo/ |archive-date=March 18, 2009 |access-date=February 1, 2008 |website=[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]}}</ref> In 2010, Bell told ''[[The Aquarian Weekly]]'': "''Pinkerton'' has definitely taken on a life of its own and became more successful and more accepted … As an artist, you just have to do what you believe in at the time, whether it’s accepted or not. You just have to keep going with it."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.theaquarian.com/2010/04/29/interview-weezer-they-want-you-to/ |title=Interview with Weezer: They Want You To &#124; The Aquarian Weekly |publisher=Theaquarian.com |date=April 29, 2010 |access-date=August 16, 2011 |archive-date=October 2, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111002161103/http://www.theaquarian.com/2010/04/29/interview-weezer-they-want-you-to/ |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2010, Weezer embarked on the Memories Tour, playing ''Blue'' and ''Pinkerton'' in their entirety.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web|url=http://www.mtv.com/news/1654191/weezers-rivers-cuomo-reflects-on-memories-tour-plans-more-shows-in-2011/|title=Weezer's Rivers Cuomo Reflects On Memories Tour, Plans More Shows In 2011|last=Archive-Matt-Elias|website=MTV News|language=en|access-date=July 31, 2019|archive-date=July 31, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731140849/http://www.mtv.com/news/1654191/weezers-rivers-cuomo-reflects-on-memories-tour-plans-more-shows-in-2011/|url-status=live}}</ref> Cuomo said of the tour: "The last time we played all of those [''Pinkerton''] songs, they went over like a lead balloon. And I just remember that feeling of just total rejection. And then to see 5,500 people singing along to every last word through every song on the album, even the really difficult ones, was incredibly validating for me."<ref name=":3" /> ===Accolades=== ''Pinkerton'' has been named one of the greatest albums of the 1990s by numerous publications. {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+Accolades for ''Pinkerton'' ! scope="col"|Publication ! scope="col"|Country ! scope="col"|Accolade ! scope="col"|Year ! scope="col"|Rank |- ! scope="row"| ''[[Magnet (magazine)|Magnet]]'' | rowspan="2"| United States | Top 60 Albums 1993–2003{{CN|date=December 2023}} | 2003 | 17 |- ! scope="row"| ''[[Spin (magazine)|Spin]]'' | 100 Greatest Albums, 1985–2005<ref name="SpinMagazine" /> | 2005 | 61 |- ! scope="row"| ''The Movement'' | New Zealand | The 101 Best Albums of the 90s{{CN|date=December 2023}} | 2004 | 12 |- ! scope="row"| ''[[Pitchfork (website)|Pitchfork]]'' | rowspan="4" | United States | Top 100 Albums of the 1990s<ref name="Pitchfork2003">{{cite web |url=https://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/5/ |title=Top 100 Albums of the 1990s: 053: Weezer ''Pinkerton'' |website=Pitchfork |publisher=Pitchfork Media |date=November 17, 2003 |first=Rob |last=Mitchum |access-date=March 8, 2007 |archive-date=March 17, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090317231121/http://pitchfork.com/features/staff-lists/5923-top-100-albums-of-the-1990s/5/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | 2003 | 53 |- ! scope="row"| ''[[Guitar World]]'' | Top 100 Guitar Albums of All-Time<ref name="Guitarworld">{{cite magazine|url=http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93854|title=Top 100 Guitar Albums of All-Time|magazine=[[Guitar World]]|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070823050531/http://chud.com/forums/showthread.php?t=93854|archive-date=August 23, 2007|url-status=dead|access-date=March 8, 2007}}</ref> | 2005 | 76 |- ! scope="row"| ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' | 100 Greatest Albums of the '90s<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=October 4, 2019 |title=100 Best Albums of the '90s |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-lists/100-best-albums-of-the-90s-152425/ |access-date=June 12, 2023 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}}</ref> | 2010 | 48 |- ! scope="row"| ''[[Alternative Press (music magazine)|Alternative Press]]'' | 20 Albums From 1996 That Mark Some of the Best of the Decade<ref>{{Cite magazine |date=January 22, 2021 |title=20 albums from 1996 that mark some of the best of the decade |url=https://www.altpress.com/best-1996-albums-alternative-rock/ |access-date=February 28, 2024 |magazine=Alternative Press |last=Penn|first=Vinnie|language=en-US}}</ref> | 2021 | N/A |- ! scope="row"| ''[[NME]]'' |United Kingdom |[[NME's The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time|The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time]]<ref>{{Cite web |last=Barker |first=Emily |date=October 25, 2013 |title=The 500 Greatest Albums Of All Time: 200–101 |url=https://www.nme.com/photos/the-500-greatest-albums-of-all-time-200-101-1426258 |access-date=October 25, 2023 |website=NME |language=en-GB}}</ref> |2013 |108 |} ==Reissues and other releases== On November 2, 2010, DGC released a "deluxe" ''Pinkerton'' reissue with an additional disc containing live performances, B-sides, and previously unreleased songs.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/40201-weezer-reveal-pinkerton-reissue-details/|title=Weezer Reveal Pinkerton Reissue Details {{!}} Pitchfork|website=pitchfork.com|date=September 27, 2010 |access-date=August 18, 2016|archive-date=September 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160914111348/http://pitchfork.com/news/40201-weezer-reveal-pinkerton-reissue-details/|url-status=live}}</ref> The reissue debuted at number six on the ''Billboard'' [[Top Pop Catalog Albums|Catalog Albums]] chart<ref name=":0">{{cite magazine|url={{BillboardURLbyName|artist=weezer|chart=all}}|title=Pinkerton – Weezer|magazine=Billboard|access-date=January 10, 2011}}</ref> and achieved a perfect score on the aggregate review website [[Metacritic]].<ref name="Metacritic">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/music/pinkerton-deluxe-edition|title=Reviews for ''Pinkerton'' (Deluxe Edition) by Weezer|website=[[Metacritic]]|access-date=November 11, 2011|archive-date=October 30, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111030121249/http://www.metacritic.com/music/pinkerton-deluxe-edition|url-status=live}}</ref> Cuomo's 2011 compilation album [[Alone III: The Pinkerton Years|''Alone III: The Pinkerton'' ''Years'']] comprises demos recorded between 1993 and 1996, when Cuomo was studying at Harvard and writing material for ''Pinkerton'' and the abandoned ''Songs from the Black Hole'' project. The album was included with a book, ''The Pinkerton Diaries'', which collects Cuomo's writings from the era.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/44605-rivers-cuomo-releasing-pinkerton-diaries-book-and-demos-comp-alone-iii/|title=Rivers Cuomo Releasing Pinkerton Diaries Book and Demos Comp Alone III|last=Pelly|first=Jenn|date=November 11, 2011|publisher=Pitchfork Media|access-date=July 13, 2014|archive-date=July 5, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140705000637/http://pitchfork.com/news/44605-rivers-cuomo-releasing-pinkerton-diaries-book-and-demos-comp-alone-iii/|url-status=live}}</ref> In May 2016, ''Pinkerton'' was reissued on [[Gramophone record|vinyl]] by the record subscription service ''Vinyl Me, Please''. The album is pressed on "dark blue translucent vinyl with black marbling" and is packaged in a custom sleeve with pop-out art, a custom lyric sheet, artwork by Japanese painter Fuco Ueda, and a sake cocktail recipe.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://pitchfork.com/news/65107-weezers-new-pinkerton-reissue-comes-with-a-sake-cocktail-recipe/|title=Weezer's New Pinkerton Reissue Comes with a Sake Cocktail Recipe {{!}} Pitchfork|website=Pitchfork|date=April 27, 2016 |access-date=August 18, 2016|archive-date=August 6, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160806150323/http://pitchfork.com/news/65107-weezers-new-pinkerton-reissue-comes-with-a-sake-cocktail-recipe/|url-status=live}}</ref> ==Track listing== {{tracklist | headline = | total_length = 34:36 | all_writing = [[Rivers Cuomo]] | title1 = Tired of Sex | length1 = 3:01 | title2 = Getchoo | length2 = 2:52 | title3 = No Other One | length3 = 3:01 | title4 = Why Bother? | length4 = 2:08 | title5 = Across the Sea | length5 = 4:32 | title6 = [[The Good Life (Weezer song)|The Good Life]] | length6 = 4:17 | title7 = [[El Scorcho]] | length7 = 4:03 | title8 = [[Pink Triangle (song)|Pink Triangle]] | length8 = 3:58 | title9 = Falling for You | length9 = 3:47 | title10 = Butterfly | length10 = 2:53 }} ==Personnel== Adapted from the liner notes.<ref name="booklet" /><ref>{{cite AV media notes |title=Pinkerton |people=[[Weezer]] |publisher=Geffen Records|year=2016 |type=liner notes |id=B0025153-01}}</ref> '''Weezer''' * [[Rivers Cuomo]]&nbsp;– lead vocals, guitar, keyboards, glockenspiel, clarinet, production * [[Patrick Wilson (drummer)|Patrick Wilson]]&nbsp;– drums, production * [[Brian Bell]] – guitar, backing vocals, production * [[Matt Sharp]]&nbsp;– bass, backing vocals, production '''Additional musicians''' * [[Karl Koch (Weezer assistant)|Karl Koch]]&nbsp;– percussion on "Butterfly" '''Technical personnel''' {{div col|colwidth=35em}} * [[Joe Barresi]]&nbsp;– engineer * Billy Bowers&nbsp;– engineer * Jim Champagne&nbsp;– engineer * David Dominguez&nbsp;– engineer * [[Greg Fidelman]]&nbsp;– engineer * [[Dave Fridmann]]&nbsp;– engineer * [[Hiroshige]]&nbsp;– cover art * Rob Jacobs&nbsp;– engineer * [[Spike Jonze]]&nbsp;– photography * [[Adam Kasper]]&nbsp;– engineer * Karl Koch&nbsp;– webmaster * [[George Marino]]&nbsp;– mastering * Dan McLaughlin&nbsp;– engineer * [[Shawn Everett]]&nbsp;– engineer, mixer * [[Clif Norrell]]&nbsp;– engineer * [[Jack Joseph Puig]]&nbsp;– engineer, mixing * Jim Rondinelli&nbsp;– engineer * Janet Wolsborn&nbsp;– art assistant * Tod Sullivan&nbsp;– [[A&R]] {{div col end}} == Charts == === Weekly charts === {| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Weekly chart performance for ''Pinkerton'' ! Chart (1996) !style="width:5em; line-height:1.3"| Peak position |- {{album chart|Australia|38|artist=Weezer|album=Pinkerton|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Austria|41|artist=Weezer|album=Pinkerton|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Canada|15|chartid=9827|rowheader=true|access-date=October 6, 2018}} |- {{album chart|Netherlands|94|artist=Weezer|album=Pinkerton|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Finland|35|artist=Weezer|album=Pinkerton|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Germany4|65|id=9551|artist=Weezer|album=Pinkerton|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|New Zealand|11|artist=Weezer|album=Pinkerton|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Norway|18|artist=Weezer|album=Pinkerton|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Sweden|4|artist=Weezer|album=Pinkerton|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|UK2|43|date=19961006|rowheader=true|access-date=November 6, 2021}} |- {{album chart|Billboard200|19|artist=Weezer|rowheader=true|access-date=October 6, 2018}} |} === Year-end charts === {|class="wikitable plainrowheaders" |+2002 year-end chart performance for ''Pinkerton'' !scope="col"|Chart (2002) !scope="col"|Position |- !scope="row"|Canadian Alternative Albums (Nielsen SoundScan)<ref>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040902000408/http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_alt2.html|archive-date=September 2, 2004|url=http://www.jamshowbiz.com/JamMusicCharts/2002_alt2.html|title=Canada's Top 200 Alternative albums of 2002|website=[[Jam!]]|access-date=March 28, 2022}}</ref> |align=center|137 |} ==Certifications== {{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for ''Pinkerton''}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|artist=Weezer|title=Pinkerton|award=Gold|relyear=1996|certyear=1996|access-date=November 14, 2021}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|artist=Weezer|title=Pinkerton|award=Silver|relyear=1996|certyear=2013|id=9483-2735-2|access-date=November 14, 2021}} {{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|artist=Weezer|title=Pinkerton|award=Platinum|relyear=1996|certyear=2016|access-date=November 14, 2021}} {{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}} ==References== {{reflist}} '''Works cited''' * {{cite book |last=Luerssen |first=John D. |year=2004 |title=Rivers' Edge: The Weezer Story |publisher=ECW Press |isbn=1-55022-619-3 }} * {{cite book |last=Cuomo |first=Rivers |author-link=Rivers Cuomo |year=2011 |title=The Pinkerton Diaries }} ==External links== <!-- This is a licensed stream for the album, which is allowed under Wikipedia polices --> * ''[https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mEo-LLncm4GSVaKFiTq5JP8wA7vMucyNw Pinkerton]'' at [[YouTube]] (streamed copy where licensed) * {{Discogs master|35071}} {{Weezer}} {{Madama Butterfly}} {{Authority control}} [[Category:1996 albums]] [[Category:Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios]] [[Category:DGC Records albums]] [[Category:Geffen Records albums]] [[Category:Weezer albums]] [[Category:Emo albums by American artists]] [[Category:Concept albums]] [[Category:Albums recorded at Sound City Studios]]'